Wake County Parks, Recreation and Open Space is marking its 50th anniversary, and the agency’s June feature highlights one of the system’s 12 parks: the American Tobacco Trail.

Officials said the American Tobacco Trail is the most visited park in Wake County’s system. The recreational rail-trail opened to walkers, runners, bicyclists and equestrians in 2003. The trail runs for 22 miles from rural New Hill in western Wake County through northeast Chatham County to downtown Durham, with Wake County’s section measuring 6.5 miles.

Signature feature: The county pointed to wildlife viewing from the Beaver Creek bridge near the 21.5-mile marker. The agency also cited staff-led night hikes in the fall and winter.

Hidden gem: The trail sits on an abandoned railroad corridor of the Norfolk Southern Railroad. The corridor carried tobacco from Dunn to Durham for processing at the American Tobacco Company in Durham. The county said reminders of that history are still visible along the route, including old railway ties and concrete mile markers, as well as tobacco barns. It also said bike racks at the New Hill and White Oak parking areas were created by North Carolina artist Alvin Frega from salvaged metal rail line taken from the original railroad.

Photo op: Officials promoted views from the bridge over the Beaver Creek wetland.

Best time to visit: The county recommended spring, fall, or sunset at the Beaver Creek bridge.

Trail guidance: The county’s yield protocol states that bicyclists yield to all other trail users and that pedestrians yield to equestrians. Parking, officials said, can be challenging on busy weekend mornings, and they advised knowing the locations of all three trailheads in the Wake County section.

Upcoming events: In the spring, officials said the trail hosts the annual Tobacco Road Marathon, with almost 4,000 runners and described as a qualifying event for the Boston Marathon. This fall, the county said the 19th annual ATT 10-Miler will be held on Oct. 10.

Wake County listed three parking areas for the trail in its section: 1309 New Hill-Olive Chapel Road, 1017 Wimberly Road and 1305 White Oak Church Road. Officials said the White Oak Creek Greenway intersects the American Tobacco Trail and allows access to a larger interconnected trail system.

More information is available at https://bit.ly/4vxxibO.

Garner, NC

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